Everyone on your team
can be a self-starter. Everyone on your
team can be a
self-starter.

I Turn Average Teams into Action Takers.

Trusted by over 300 organizations, I work with leaders who want their teams to take initiative, solve problems on their own, and deliver results without micromanagement.

If you are serious about leading a high-performing team that
thinks for themselves, let’s talk.

Explore My Services Watch MJ in Action
300+
Organizations Served
5K+
Leaders Impacted
5★
Speaker Rating
MJ Pittman
MJ Pittman speaking on stage
Flagship Program

The Self-Starting Team:
How to Build a Culture That Runs Itself

After experiencing this program, your leaders will be able to…

  • Spread the habits of your strongest contributors to your average performers.
  • Equip middle managers to make decisions they used to escalate.
  • Feel the energy come from the team, not just the leader.
  • Move projects forward successfully with less leader intervention.
  • Develop employees who bring solutions, not just problems.
  • Build a team that takes initiative without waiting to be told.
  • Set expectations so clear that instructions don’t need repeating.
  • Lead teams that adapt quickly when priorities change.
  • Delegate work that comes back 100% finished instead of halfway done.
The Method

The Action Ladder:
The 5 Stages of Initiative.

Every team member is somewhere on the ladder. The Action Ladder gives leaders a five-stage diagnostic that names where each person is stuck and reveals the next move to help them climb.

  1. Stage 01

    No Action.

    Why should I?

    “I see no reason to change and have no intentions to.”

  2. Stage 02

    Compliant Action.

    What’s required?

    “I am doing what is required to stay out of trouble.”

  3. Stage 03

    Conditional Action.

    Will this actually work for me?

    “I’m willing to try this, but I need proof that it works.”

  4. Stage 04

    Committed Action.

    How do I make this succeed?

    “I’m doing this because I believe it matters.”

  5. Stage 05

    Contagious Action.

    How do we make this normal for others?

    “We do this, and anyone who joins us does it too.”

Diagnose Your Team
Trusted By
Chase Bank of America Rutgers University Maxwell Leadership SMU Primerica Boys & Girls Clubs YMCA

"When you know where they are, you'll know what to do."

Ways to Work With MJ

Three ways to build a self-starting team.

MJ Pittman speaking on stage to a leadership audience
01 · Free Diagnostic

The Action Ladder Diagnostic.

In about 8 minutes, map up to 5 team members to their stage on the Action Ladder, with a clear next step for each.

Take the Diagnostic
02 · Coaching

Action Ladder Coaching.

A 90 day program with MJ to build the missing conditions on your team, stage by stage, until movement becomes the default rather than the exception.

Is This for Me?
03 · Keynote

Keynote Speaking.

Your audience walks out of MJ's 60-minute keynote The Self-Starting Team with the vocabulary and playbook to turn passive execution into active ownership. Leaders learn how to diagnose where each person on their team is stuck — and exactly what to communicate to move them forward. Perfect for leadership off-sites, sales kickoffs, and organizations tired of babysitting their team.

Book MJ for Your Event
Free Diagnostic

Find Out Where Your Team Is Stuck.

The Action Ladder Diagnostic walks you through 10 questions for up to 5 team members, then maps each one to their stage on the ladder and tells you what to build for each. About 5 minutes.

Take the Diagnostic →
Free · 10 Minutes
The Action Ladder Diagnostic
MJ Pittman with John Maxwell
Featured

John Maxwell

New York Times #1 Best-Selling Author, Leadership Coach & Speaker

"MJ, you killed it. You are visually contagious. If you're this good all the time? We're going to be doing some stuff together."

MJ had the opportunity to speak and train John Maxwell's leaders in West Palm Beach, Florida, teaching on the communication habits that turn authority into influence.

Watch MJ in Action
Extended Clips

See it in motion.

In 2026, anyone can look polished with AI tools and a good edit. Event planners want proof that what they see online translates to their stage. So these clips provide peace of mind for that: three different audiences, three different styles, but one consistent speaker.

Style: Motivation
Winners Lose More Than Losers Lose
Style: Strategy Workshop
Trust-Led Sales
Style: Action Oriented
Building a Trustworthy Reputation
01 / 03
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What Others Are Saying

Real leaders.
Real results.

"
★★★★★
"You're doing yourself a disservice by choosing anything else. MJ brings a rare combination of depth and energy. Every person in the room walked out different than they walked in."
EM
Eric Moss
Program Director
"
★★★★★
"During the workshop, my staff was texting me: 'THIS IS AMAZING!' You really did us a service today."
CF
Cullin Fish
Event Organizer
"
★★★★★
"I really love trusting that when I schedule with you, it's going to be a great experience. Every single time."
LR
Lindsey Riedmueller
Event Organizer
"
★★★★★
"Michael just gets it. You really know how to engage an audience and make the content stick."
TS
Thomas Santiago
Event Organizer
"
★★★★★
"One of the best presenters I've come across. Enthusiasm that is impossible to fake."
SN
Stacy Nyikos
Event Organizer
Book MJ →
MJ Pittman
300+ Organizations
Served
About MJ

Analytical thinking.
Contagious enthusiasm.

MJ Pittman is a leadership communication speaker, coach, and author who's traveled the world speaking on stages of every size. Today he helps leaders find the lowest stage where their team isn't yet ready to move, build the missing condition there, and unlock the execution they thought a clearer email or a better all-hands would solve.

After thousands of speaking engagements over the last two decades, MJ knows the science and the strategies behind communication that sticks. He's also lived the business side of it, generating millions in revenue selling financial services across banking and insurance, then millions more selling his own products to colleges and universities. The throughline across every room, deal, and stage was the same: leaders who can move people win. The ones who can't, don't.

With a background in engineering, theater, and financial sales, MJ brings analytical rigor and contagious enthusiasm to every room he walks into.

Work With MJ

Ready to put MJ
in your room?

Whether you're booking a keynote, bringing MJ in for a workshop, or starting the 90 day Action Ladder Coaching program, share a few details below and MJ's team will get back to you within 48 hours.

📍
Location
Available Nationwide & Internationally
🎤
Speaking Topics
Leadership Communication · Executive Presence · Influence & Sales
🌐
Website
mjpittman.com

Send a Booking Request

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Thanks for reaching out. MJ's team will review your event details and get back to you within 48 hours.